I’VE SEEN THE LOCKDOWNS AND THE DAMAGE DONE: What the New, Low Test Scores for 13-Year-Olds Say About U.S. Education Now.

The math and reading performance of 13-year-olds in the United States has hit the lowest level in decades, according to test scores released today from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the gold-standard federal exam.

The last time math performance was this low for 13-year-olds was in 1990. In reading, 2004.

Performance has fallen significantly since the 2019-2020 school year, when the coronavirus pandemic wrought havoc on the nation’s education system.

The pandemic didn’t wreak the havoc. Government and our educators did.